Lincoln’s Latest Flight
The Bald Eagle Is A Tradition in South Philly — And in America.
This week, President Joe Biden signed legislation making Bald Eagles the National Bird. It was the early 1990s when bald Eagle Challenger began flying over Veterans Stadium in South Philadelphia during the National Anthem at Eagles Games. Challenger wasn’t just the first in South Philly, he was the first trained American Eagle Foundation bird to fly over stadiums and arenas in the United States. After Challenger’s glide off into retirement — Lincoln now soars the South Philadelphia inside Lincoln Financial Field — in fact he’s already been here in 2024.
Lincoln soared over the Eagles vs. Commanders game at the Linc on November 14th. This Sunday, he’ll be flying over South Philly once again before the Eagles and the Cowboys kickoff. Each year, Lincoln makes the nearly ten and a half hour drive from Kodak, Tennessee to glide over Eagles games. Kodak is also the home of the American Bald Eagle Foundation. It’s a lofty position for sure.
After twenty-five years of flights, Challenger not only soared over Eagles games, he also has flown at Presidential Inaugurations, the MLB World Series, and is also featured on over 90% of TV spots during Major League Baseball Games and National Football League Playoff Games.
History differs slightly on the exact inspiration that drew Philadelphia Eagles founder to make the bird the official logo of the team. Some say that the inspiration was from the logo of FDR’s new deal. Others claim that Bell saw a billboard with an Eagle on it and was immediately convinced. What was for certain, was that it wasn’t going to be a Yellow Jacket.
No matter what first inspired Bert Bell, he brought the perfect team for Philadelphia with the perfect logo — who is now ranked 4th with a total of 14.6 million social media followers. On Sunday afternoon, with the Eagles locked into a playoff berth and guaranteed January football — and possibly February as well — Lincoln’s latest flight over South Philly will be proof of that.
The post Lincoln’s Latest Flight appeared first on Philadelphia Sports Nation.